Battle of Jahaz

The Battle of Jahaz is a battle mentioned in Deuteronomy 2 in the Hebrew Bible. During the Exodus, the Amorites under King Sihon of Heshbon refused to let Moses and the Israelites pass through their lands, so the Israelites massacred every last Amorite and destroyed every city.

Description in Deuteronomy 2
''So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, ‘Let me pass through your land. I will go only by the road; I will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left. You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink. Only let me pass through on foot, as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I go over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving to us.’ But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day. And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession, that you may occupy his land.’ Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz. And the Lord our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors. Only the livestock we took as spoil for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities that we captured. From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The Lord our God gave all into our hands. Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the Lord our God had forbidden us.''

Interpretation
During the Exodus, Moses peacefully requested that King Sihon of Heshbon allow the Israelites to pass through his land and buy food from him and drink. The Israelites were humble, promising to go only by the road and pass on foot. Sihon was obstinate, and he decided that he would not let them pass. God apeared to Moses and told him that he gave Sihon and his land to the Israelites, and they could occupy his land. When Sihon and his army met the Israelites at Jahaz, he, his sons, and all his people were defeated. All of his cities were captured and every city, man, woman, and child was killed, and God gave all into the Israelites' hands.